In typical juice dispensers, concentrated juice is provided as a syrup in a plastic container or in a bag-in-box container which is kept in a refrigerated compartment. The syrup is pumped from the container in the refrigerated compartment to a mixing valve. The mixing valve also receives cool water which is combined with the syrup to provide a cool drink.
In most beverage dispensers, such as the dispenser shown and described in Re. U.S. Pat. No. 33,943, which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, and which is hereby incorporated by reference, there are typically one or two containers of juice. The dispenser may have an out-of-syrup sensor which provides a visual indication to the user when the concentrated syrup in the container fall below a certain level. Electrodes on the side of the containers are "hot" and the horizontal base has a grounded vertical extension which extends upward between the containers. This tray system and electrode arrangement does not work, however, when there are more than two concentrated juice containers.
Syrup in the container is pumped from the container to the mixing valve. When syrup is not drawn from a container for an extended period of time, the syrup in the pump can become warm. As a result, the next beverage which is dispensed may be unacceptably warm to the drinker.
When the container runs out, a new container is provided, or a funnel is used in the top of the dispenser to refill the container. In the top-fill system of the reissue patent, a rubber gasket is provided between the funnel and the metal housing of the dispenser. This gasket can get syrup on it and require cleaning. It would be desirable to have a funnel system which is easier to clean and maintain.
Typical dispensers have a splash plate for protecting controls on the inside of the cabinet in case a juice splashes. This can occur, for example, if a glass is not properly positioned beneath the spout and the juice splashes from a tray on which a glass normally rests. When using microprocessor controls, diagnostic tests can be performed, and the circuit board may have lights or indicators which show the results of the diagnostic tests. Consequently, it is desirable to operate the dispenser while being able to observe the circuit board, and would be desirable to protect the circuit board while being able to observe it when the dispenser is dispensing.